


The New Barista

by kalini127



Category: The Witchlands Series - Susan Dennard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffe shop AU, F/M, I'll add Ryber/Kullen and Vivia/Stix at some point as well, Modern AU, Slow Burn, and because we need more fic in this fandom, because why not?, i guess, i have no idea what i am doing, my fisrt fic, will add more tags as the fic goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2019-09-29 20:06:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17210072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalini127/pseuds/kalini127
Summary: Modern Coffee Shop AU in which Safi needs a new job, and Matthew offers her a job as a barista in his coffee shop.





	1. Safi

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic ever!  
> Big thanks to @sxfik on tumblr for helping me with editing!

“I still think this is s a big mistake, Iz. Me? As a barista? That just sounds crazy.” Safi said as she trudged her way down the side walk, making her way to her new job in Venaza City. The sun was shining and warm, but the wind was cool, marking the end of summer.  
“But you need the job, don’t you?” Iseult replied. 

“Yes, I know, I know. But this wouldn’t be necessary if it wasn’t for that idiot. Stupid asshole.” she muttered as she cursed the idiot who made her lose her job. Until recently, Safi had worked in a cinema with Iseult. Iseult oversaw the checkout counter and she oversaw the snacks counter, well at least until she lost her job. And this set up had worked out just fine, until this one fateful day. Some idiot hit on her as he made his order and had the nerve to insult her after she had made it clear that she was not interested. But it wasn’t until he made a jibe at Iseult that she lost it and threw his hot nachos, along with its cheese dip and his cola, in his face. While Safi found this guy’s shocked, cheese-dip and cola stained face hilarious, her boss was not one for her jokes and had her fired immediately. 

Lucky enough for her, she found a new job as a barista, only a few days after she had lost her old one at the cinema. A local, well-attended Coffee Shop right in the center of the city was looking for a new barista and she knew the owner. She had never thought that one day she would be working as a barista, but she needed the job. Summer was coming to an end, and as her second year of college would be starting soon she needed a way to make ends meet. 

“As soon as I am done helping my Mum, I will pay the Cahr Awen Café a visit. I don’t want to miss your first day as a barista!” her dutiful friend replied.

“Oh yeah, please do. I will definitely need some moral support,” Safi replied, instantly feeling better. It’s days like these that she is reminded about what an amazing friend Iseult is and how lucky she is to have her. “Well, I’m about to enter the shop now, Iz. See you soon! Don’t let your mum get you down too much, okay? Love you, Bye!” she finished the call and put the phone back into her purse.

“Heavens, help me keep this job. Oh and please let there not be some asshole trying to hit on me this time” she prayed out loud, as took a deep breath and walked into the coffee shop.

 

When Safi entered the shop, the smell of strong coffee and cream wafted around her. Several people sat at the tables all over the room, engaged in their small talk, and sipping at their coffee. She looked around the cozy shop trying to spot Matthew, her new boss. Matthew had been her tutor back when she was in high school, and he was a good friend of her uncle as well. After she had left for college, they had stayed in contact, and he was the reason why she had gotten the job so quickly and so easily. Initially, Matthew had asked her if she wanted the job, she was surprised since she had no experience. But at the time, she had just started working at the cinema, so she had denied his offer. She also thought it would be a little weird to work with her tutor and a good friend of her family, but she’s too desperate at this point to care and worry over such menial things. The next semester would be starting soon, and she desperately needed the money. 

She spotted him standing behind the counter, serving a new customer so she waited patiently for him to finish up with the customer. As soon as the customer placed their order and went to find a table, Matthew looked up and waved at her, beckoning her to come and talk to him. 

“Ah, Safi, nice to see you. It’s been a while! Ready for your first day?” Matthew beamed at her and signaled her to follow him. “You can leave your bag in the backroom, which we also use for our breaks.” he said, leading her into the back.

“And here you go. An apron just for you!” He handed her a dark blue apron with the shop’s emblem on it, which she put around her waist. “My shift is almost over, then I’ll retire into my office. We’re having some problems with one of our suppliers right now so I can’t train you personally. Instead, you’ll be trained by my most dedicated employee. His shift starts at 3:00, just like yours so just follow his instructions and I’m sure you’ll catch on quickly.”

“Okay, sure. No problem. Thanks again, Matthew for letting me work here and giving me a job on such short notice.” Safi pulled her ponytail a little tighter and glanced around the room, feeling a bit nervous and hoping that this one won’t come with any unfortunate ‘accidents’.

“Bye, Matthew. See you tomorrow!” A boy said to Matthew, passing him on the way out from the back room.  
“Wait Cam before you leave, here is your new co-workers!” Matthew yelled out to Cam. He whipped around and approached Safi with an outstretched hand and a smile on his face.  
“Hello, I’m Safi, I look forward to working with you.” She told him smiling while shaking his hand. Cam smiled and introduced himself but left quickly as he had to run some errands. 

“Goodbye, Cam. Get home safe!” Matthew called back and turned around to face Safi again. Through the huge glass windows at the front of the shop, she spotted Cam talking to a guy. Subsequently, Safi turned her attention back to Matthew and assured him that she will work hard and make him proud. Safi took a step forward, inspecting the coffee machines closely. Soon she would have to learn how to use these things. How hard could that possibly be? 

The front door opened, and there was a small chime indicating a new customer. Safi looked up at the sound and realized that the young man Cam had been talking to had entered the coffee shop. He walked towards them, a light smile on his lips, and greeted Matthew with a deep voice as he walked past them and entered the backroom. Safi looked back at Matthew questioningly as if asking “Who was that?” 

“Oh, that was Merik, he will supervise you,” Matthew gave her a smile, excused himself and walked back to his office. 

The boy, Merik as Matthew called him, suddenly appeared next to her behind the counter, wearing the same apron and smiled.  
“So, you are the newbie Matthew told us about?” he questioned, smirking a bit as he crossed his arms.


	2. Safi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Safi get's to serve her first customer. ;)

She swallowed tightly as she looked him up and down. He had brown hair that looked so light and fluffy that she could run her hands through it and smooth, bronzed skin. Wow, he is hot. She snapped out of her haze and replied, “Yes, I am and my name is Safi. You’re Merik right? Nice to meet you.” She held out a hand and shook his hand and when they touched it was like electricity shooting through her. Quickly, she retracted her hand back as she tried to erase that moment out of her head. This isn’t the time to develop some silly crush.

“Okay then! Let’s start. We have a lot to do today.” He gave her a short smirk, like he knew exactly what happened and held up a clipboard.

Safi looked at the list on the clipboard warily. It wasn’t like she could read anything during the short moment that he had held the list up, but it looked like a lot. Gods help her, this was going to be a lot.

“What exactly is the clipboard for?” She stole a short look out of the window, hoping she might see Iseult who was going to be her moral support system for today. But of course, it was wishful thinking. She had only just started her shift, and Iseult would still be busy helping her Mum.

“Since Matthew told me that you have zero experience as a barista, it means we have to start from the bottom. There are several skills that you should master, and that’s why I made a checklist. I am going to evaluate on each, so you know which ones you need to practice the most.” He placed the clipboard back on the counter and glanced at the door as it chimed, and looked back at her. “And there comes your first customer. Have fun!” Merik nodded at the direction of the door, where just in this moment a new customer strode through the door.

“Alright.” She took a deep breath before she approached the register to serve her first customer and prayed to all the gods above. I can do this.

Her first customer seemed to be around her age and glanced around the room with an annoyed expression. Just before she could open her mouth to welcome him, he already said “One tall, black coffee,” in a contemptuous tone.

“Oh, did we have a bad day?” she said in her most sarcastic tone.  
“What?” He seemed slightly irritated, but still so unfriendly.  
“Well, actually it’s ‘One tall, black coffee, _please_.’” She emphasized as she tilted her head and smiled sweetly. He just started at her, without blinking, and his icy blue ice not just annoying, but also creepy.  
“Whatever. Just give me my coffee.” He pulled out his mobile phone and turned around, his back to her. Safi rolled her eyes and started working. A boringly, normal coffee she could do. But the whole time she could feel Merik’s gaze boring into her. She flinched slightly as she was pretty sure that she had done poorly with her very first customer, but it wasn’t her fault. Some people could make it so hard to stay friendly.

Without saying a single word, she placed the coffee on the counter. A little bit to hard and too fast because a few splatters of coffee had landed on the counter. The guy turned around to take is cup, placed his money on the counter and left to sit in the most secluded corner of the room.  
“Now that’s what I call a bummer. Looks like we really have to start from the very beginning.” She turned around to face Merik, who looked at her with raised eyebrows and a shadow of a smirk.

“Oh come on! It couldn’t…. have been THAT bad.” Safi crossed her arms defensively, but Merik raised one eyebrow and had the audacity to grin mockingly at her. Great. Not only were the customers assholes, but her co-worker was too.

“Darn it! Ok, you’re right. I screwed up. Happy now?” She frowned slightly

He shook his head. “No, unfriendly employees can ruin the image of the entire café, so get it together, please. We’ll start from the beginning. Rule #1: The customer is always right.” Safi groaned and walked around a few steps.  
“Hard to believe, I know, but I already know that. But some people make it so hard to stay friendly.” She said, frowning that she forgot the easiest and simplest rule of all. He took a few steps towards her. “Exactly, and that’s why we practice. Believe it or not, but I didn’t do well at my first day either.”

“Seriously?” her face scrunched up as she tried to think of what could be as bad as what she did today

“Seriously. But that’s a story for another time. Remember, time is money. Matthew didn’t assign this shift to you for no reason. After 3:00 it becomes less busy, which means we have more time to go through everything, and we are gong to make the most of that time.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “Rule Number said, as I said before is: The customer is always right. We have to be friendly towards even the worst and most annoying customers. So practice your friendly attitude and your smile until it comes off almost natural.” He threw his biro from one hand into the other, which Safi found quite annoying.

“Alright, got it. I will try my best. What else?” she asked, feeling slightly better after knowing that he messed up his first day too. Merik looked at his checklist. “Point 2: The distinction and preparation of the 4 basic coffee recipes: Espresso, Cappuccino, Americano and Latte Macchiato. Point 2 a) How to Make an Espresso in 14 Steps…..”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” _14 steps? 14??_

“I told you, we’ve got a lot to do.” He had the actual audacity to grin while he said that. He looks even better with a smile than a smirk. No, wait, what am I doing. He was annoying and that’s all he’ll be.

Subsequently, Merik explained all the basics to her. And yes, apparently there truly were 14 steps when it comes to making Espresso, as she had to learn. And Merik made sure to explain every single step to her in ridiculously many details. She wanted to make Matthew proud, and she did take her new job seriously, but this was over the top. And damn this guy could be annoying.  
This was going to be a long, long day.


	3. Iseult

Iseult was delighted to finally be able to make her way to the Café. Her Mum had asked her to help her re-organize her home office. _“As long as your semester break lasts, you have the time to help me out.”_ Which was true, but Iseult didn’t get along with her Mum very well. She always had the feeling that her mum was disappointed in her, because she had chosen another carrier path than her Mum had hoped, and because she didn’t live up to her Mums expectations. That all made the time with her a little bit…uncomfortable. But now, thank God, she was on the way to the Cahr Awen café, to Safi. Her best friend always managed to cheer her up. It was strange not to work together with Safi at the cinema anymore, but she was happy that her friend had found a job so quickly, nevertheless. Safi had lost her last job because she had acted out, but it hadn’t entirely been her fault. The customer had been of the rude and uncomfortable type one didn’t want to run into at night. And if Iseult was being honest, he had it coming. It was just his bad that he had tried his luck on Safi.

The Café was easy to find, and even before she stepped through the door the smell of delicious coffee and pastry surrounded her. It was shortly after 4:00 pm when she entered the café, and Safi stood behind the counter next to a young man about their age, handling a coffee machine. After she had finished serving the customer, Safi found Iseult’s gaze and smiled widely at her. The customer Safi had served just moments ago turned around and almost walked into Iseult.

“I didn’t hear you, I am sorry.” He muttered and didn’t even wait for her response before he made his way towards his table. Iseult didn’t know what to say anyway, all she could do was stare into his strange eyes. They were light blue, with a red ring around the pupil. Yes, red! _Who even had red eyes???_

Iseult walked towards Safi, who still stood behind the counter. “Hi!” She smiled back at her friend. “I’d like a medium Latte and a chocolate croissant, please. How is your first day going?” She watched Safi set to work right away. “It’s quite stressful. A lot more stressful than I thought it would be, and there is so much I have to learn, I didn’t think that it would be _that_ much.” Safi tried her luck at the classic latte art, but one could only describe the finished result as ‘I tried’. Safi wrinkled her nose at the sight of her failed latte art attempt but put the cup in front of Iseult anyway.  
“You can do this Safi, I am sure of it! I am right over there if you need me!” She pointed at an empty table in the back corner of the sitting room.

It was relatively empty at the café, but Iseult still preferred to sit in the back where she would be left alone and could observer everything. Safi was the more talkative of the both of them. She could start small talk with pretty much everyone, but Iseult preferred to be left alone. She just didn’t get along well with most people.

She set aside her coffee and croissant and pulled out her book. There was nothing better than always having a book at hand. Even if she knew she would have no time to read, Iseult still felt a lot more comfortable knowing she had a book in her bag.

The only person who sat in this secluded corner besides her was a boy, and only after she looked more precisely, she noticed that is was the same one who had almost ran into her at the counter. He was reading a book as well, not getting distracted by anything. Iseult tried to read the title of his book, when he looked up suddenly. She blushed, knowing she had started, and quickly turned her attention to her book. As the time passed by and Iseult got lost in her book, Safi would occasionally look in her direction, and every time Iseult hold up her thumbs, signaling Safi that she was doing great. Iseult noticed that the boy looked at her every now and then, but she didn’t say anything. After all she had started at him as well, so who was she to judge? At some point Matthew came over to her to greet her, and they started talking. Matthew asked her how her first year at college had been, and if she was excited about her 2nd year, and how things were with her mum. In return Iseult asked him if the Café was doing well, and how Habim, Matthew’s husband, was doing. It was so nice to talk to Matthew again. He was one of the very few people that Iseult got along with and that she could talk to without a problem. But of course, their conversation couldn’t last too long, because soon enough Matthew had to get back in his office. Running a café was hard work, after all.

When Iseult checked her wristwatch, she noticed that is was already past 5:00 pm, meaning it was time to get back home. She had to work at the cinema this evening. She packed up her stuff and walked towards the counter to say goodbye to Safi. She saw how Safi was laughing with her co-worker and had to grin. It was nice to see that Safi got a long with her new co-workers. That was important. She didn’t want her friend to work somewhere where she didn’t get along with her co-workers.

“Alright then, I have to leave. But you are doing great at your new job!” Iseult told her friend.  
“Really? Thanks, Iz!” Safi smiled at her.  
“Really. I knew you could do it! See you soon, bye!”  
“Bye!” Safi waved at her farewell, and Iseult waved back. And then Iseult made her way back home.


	4. Iseult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long absence, but I got hit by a bad writer's block.

The next day, Safi and Iseult were sitting in their apartment and ate ice cream. The still hot sun shining golden through the curtains. Iseult couldn’t wait for the weather to finally cool down. Summer just wasn’t her season.   
“So, tell me, how did you like your first day?” Iseult asked inquisitively, after swallowing another spoon of vanilla ice cream. Safi was sprawled over the couch and looked up from her mobile phone, her hair in a messy ponytail. “I am pretty sure I bombed it,” Safi admitted, sighing.   
“No way. As far as I could tell, you did great.”  
At that, Safi had to grimace. “You are only saying that because you are my friend, and because you weren’t there when I completely messed up the thing with my first customer.” She countered and took to her ice cream again.

“Ok, so what about it? It was your first day and everyone makes mistakes. That’s normal. That’s called initial difficulties, and it will go away.” Iseult didn’t like it when her friend was criticizing herself and tried as always to be logical about the situation, but Safi only returned a “Hmmmpf.” 

“And you get along with your coworkers?”  
Safi swallowed her ice down hard and grimaced.   
“What?” Iseult asked confused. Did Safi have trouble with her coworkers after only one day?   
Safi bit her lip before she finally spoke. “Well, ‘define’ coworkers, because I have only really met 2 and one of those only for a few seconds.”  
“Okay, and the other one?”  
“….is an annoying asshole. And I am pretty sure he hates me too.”   
Iseult snored. Only Safi could dislike her coworkers from the very first day and get into trouble. 

“Well, to me it looked like two were getting along well,” Iseult admitted. She always had a talent for reading people and figuring out their emotions, even if she didn’t get along with them otherwise. But Safi just shrugged.

“I am telling you, Iz, that guy is insane. And so petty. I have learned more about Espresso and customer support in a few hours to fill a lifetime. But according to Merik that knowledge is ‘important’”. Safi rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and put her feet on the couch table.  
Iseult had to smile. 

“Well, it does sound interesting. I suppose there is a long history of coffee making.”  
“Not you too, oh my god. I should introduce you, then you can talk about the history and tradition of coffee making all day long.”  
Iseult hid a laugh. “Thank you but I pass. Maybe you will get along better as you get to know each other. And you still have other coworkers to meet, right?”  
Safi just shrugged while grimacing, which Iseult thought could only mean ‘over my dead body will I get to know that guy better’.   
“By the way, do you have everything together for the next semester already?” Safi asked her while cleaning her nails.   
“Not yet.”  
“Great. I don’t have to work tomorrow, so we could go to the mall together.”   
Safi got up and started gathering her stuff together. “I gotta go now, I have to work two shifts today, wish me luck.”   
“You can do this, Safi!”


End file.
